1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for forming thin films of a dielectric material on an electronic component.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is a significant interest in the semi-conductor industry in replacing traditional inorganic dielectric materials with polymeric materials as device dielectric isolation layers, trenches, inter-level metal passivation layers, etc. Polymeric materials are less expensive, can be more easily purified and fabricated, and potentially have better thermal and electrical characteristics than some inorganic counterparts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,306 Takeda et al discloses a method for manufacturing electronic devices having a multilayer wiring structure using a polyimide dielectric material between the layers. The polyimide dielectric material is a thermosetting addition polymerization type polyimide which possesses imide rings in recurring units and a degree of polymerization which increases when cured due to the radical reaction of the end group or groups thereof. Several of the materials of the present invention differ in structure from the polyimide and have superior properties, and all are cured by a different method from that disclosed in Takeda et al.
The following U.S. patents disclose polyimides polyimide-polyamides or like materials used as insulating or passivating materials in electronic components. However, none of the materials disclosed are equivalent to those of the present invention. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,700,497 Epifano et al; 3,846,166 Saiki et al; 3,486,934 Bond; 3,515,585 Chamberlin et al; 3,985,597 Zielinski; 4,367,119 Logan et al. These patents are incorporated by reference, as is the earlier Shiro et al European Patent Application, since the polyimide materials of the present invention can be used as a substitute for the polyimide and related materials disclosed in these references.